DU at a Glance

The University of Dhaka: A Brief Sketch

The University of Dhaka, popularly known as Dhaka University, is the premier university in Bangladesh. The University is ranked number one on the Bangladesh University Ranking 2017. The blueprint of this largest University was brilliantly sketched by Barrister Robert Nathan in 1913 and further elaboration of the proposal was made by the Calcutta University Committee in 1918. The University was eventually established by Lord Chelmsford and Lord Ronaldshay in 1921 in a picturesque part of the city known as Ramna on 600 acres of land.

The University held its door open for the students with Sir P.J. Hartog as the first Vice-Chancellor thereof. The embryonic stage of the university can be traced back to the academic activities that got started on 1 July 1921 with 877 students, 60 teachers, 3 Faculties viz Arts, Science, and Law, 12 Departments viz Sanskrit and Bengali, English, Education, History, Arabic and Islamic Studies, Persian and Urdu, Philosophy, Economics and Politics, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Law, and 3 dormitories (Halls of Residence) for students named Salimullah Muslim Hall, then Dacca Hall, and Jagannath Hall.

The prime goal of the University comprised the creation of new knowledge and generation of new improved insights, along with the dissemination of this form of knowledge across the society through the students. Since its inception the University has a distinct character of having distinguished scholars as faculty members who have enriched the global pool of knowledge by making notable contributions in the fields of teaching and research.

The University of Dhaka played a heroically pivotal role in initiating ‘1952 Language Movement’ when the Bengalis stood united in order to battle against a central government decision or a declaration of the prime minister of Pakistan to make Urdu the only official language in the then East Pakistan. The University of Dhaka was the main place where the movement started with students joining together and protesting against the Pakistan government. Later on, countless students were massacred in and around the place where the ‘Kendrio (Central) Shaheed Minar’ stands today. After the incident, Bangla was accepted and established as the official language in Pakistan. After the partition of India, the University of Dhaka became the focal point of progressive and democratic movements in Pakistan. Its students and faculty members played a central role in the rise of Bengali nationalism, and the independence of Bangladesh.

The University’s distinguished alumni include Fazlur Rahman Khan (pioneer of modern structural engineering), Muhammad Yunus (winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, pioneer of Microcredit), Muhammad Shahidullah (famous educator, philologist, and linguist), Natyaguru Nurul Momen (the pioneer trailblazer of progressive culture, theatre, literature, performing arts, philosophy, and arts; who was both an early student & a teacher as well, of Dhaka University), Serajul Islam Choudhury (the country’s leading public intellectual and writer), Rehman Sobhan (social democratic economist), Mohammad Ataul Karim (physicist), Abul Fateh (one of the founding fathers of South Asian diplomacy), Buddhadeb Bose (20th-century Bengali poet), and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (the founding father of Bangladesh). It also enjoyed associations with Satyendra Nath Bose, Vijayaraghavan, and Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Until 2017, the University of Dhaka awarded honorary doctorate degrees to 52 distinguished national and internationals figures with the honor. Some of the notable recipients of honorary doctorate degrees were Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri (1927), Rabindranath Tagore (1936), Sir Jagdis Chandra Basu (1936), Sir Prafulla Chandra Roy (1936), Poet and Philosopher Sir Mohammed Iqbal (1936), Sarat Chandra Chattapadhya (1936), Ex-Vice Chancellor Sir AF Rahman (1937), AK Fazlul Haq (1956), Professor Satyendra Nath Bose (Posthumous) (1974), Professor Satyendra Nath Bose (Posthumous) (1974), Dr Hiralal De (1974), Dr Muhammed Qudrat-i-Khuda (1974), Dr Qazi Motahar Hossain (1974), Kazi Nazrul Islam (1974), Professor Abdus Salam (1993), Professor Amartya Sen (1999), Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohammad (2004), Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus (2007), Language Veteran ANM Gaziul Haque, (2008), and Language Veteran Abdul Matin (2008).

The University of Dhaka is fervently dedicated to the advancement of learning and committed to the promotion of research in all fields of knowledge. As there are plans for further expansion of facilities, new avenues, and opportunities, the course curricula are continuously updated in the face of emerging fields of knowledge and disciplines, and new research projects are undertaken every year. As the pioneer and the largest seat of learning in the country, the University of Dhaka has taken the task to foster the transformation processes of the individual students and the country as a whole through keeping its educational and research facilities updated timely, with the demands of the contemporary world. The University of Dhaka is one of the leading institutions of higher education in Asia, and is well-prepared to meet the challenges of the upcoming days with its spirit of freedom, justice, and truth.

The University of Dhaka at a Glance